Comparing The Past and The Present
by Midget Munchkin
Summary: This is a short fic from Kari's POV. After reading a diary entry she wrote during 01, she thinks about how thinngs have changed, especially her feelings for .... Matt! Set in 02. Please Read and Review!


Comparing The Past and The Present  
  
Midget: Hi, it's me again! This one is a Yakari (sort of) that is set in 02. It's from Kari's POV. It's kind of short, but hopefully sweet.  
  
Warnings: If you are die-hard Takari fans, you might not want to read this. If you are a fan of Dakari, you probably won't want to read this. Taiora and Kenako mentioned, but only briefly. There are no other couples mentioned at all.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own digimon. I do not even own my own car. I have a T.V. and a VCR that will soon be worn out from taping anime and watching it over and over again. That's about it, so you can sue me all you want to. It won't be worth it, though.  
  
************  
Dear Diary,  
Well, I finally got to meet Tai's new friends. They're all ..... interesting. And cute. T.K. is my age, but he's a little bit shorter than me. That's okay, though. He's real nice and always has a smile on his face. I think he and I are going to be good friends. Then there's Matt, T.K.'s older brother. He's real quiet, except when he fights with Tai. That's okay, though, because he only fights with him when Tai isn't thinking about the others. Matt doesn't show much emotion, but I can see through his mask of indifference. That's how I know he's only thinking of the others. Usually his attention is centered on T.K., which is good. In that respect, he's just like Tai. Next is Sora. From the moment I saw her and Tai together, I knew she liked him. I don't mind because she's a real nice person. She's always looking after everyone else. She kinda reminds me of mom when she's acting like that. Still, she knows how to be a kid and just have fun every now and then, too. That's probably why she plays soccer, like Tai. I think Mimi is a bit like her, only not in the same way. Mimi acts more like a good friend. A slightly ditzy one, but still a good friend. When she says something, she usually means it. Sometimes she's like a sister to everyone. One in more need of coddling than I am. I like her, though. I don't think there's anyone I don't like. Some occasionally drive me crazy, though. Mimi does, but not very often. Tai and Matt do, but that's usually only when they're fighting. The two that really get to me are Joe and Izzy. Izzy isn't so bad, if you get him off of his computer. He's quiet, like Matt, unless he knows something he thinks you need to hear. He cares, like Matt, and he doesn't often show his emotions. Izzy tries to help in his own way, which is surprisingly helpful. Surprisingly because you just wouldn't think a computer would be that helpful. The last is Joe. Joe is okay I guess, if he isn't whining or being paranoid. Unfortunately, that's actually not very often. I guess those are his favorite pastimes. He's a nice kid and all, inspite of that, and very reliable. You can always count on him. Well, that's all the humans. The digimon are what's left. I haven't quite got all of them figured out yet, though, so I'll write about them next time. I wanted to mention what we're doing before Tai comes over to make sure I go to sleep. You see, we're on a quest to save the digi world from the Dark Masters! That's why we have digimon. And digivices, tags, and crests. So far we've managed to face and beat our enemies together. As a team we're unstoppable! Oops, there's Tai. I'd better put this back in T.K.'s bag before he sees it. Thanks for listening, friend. Bye!  
************  
  
Kari smiled as she looked down at the words her eight year old hand had written. It almost seemed like yesterday and a lifetime ago all at once, even though the time span was actually only three years. Things had certainly changed since then. Now they fought a Digimon Emperor instead of Dark Masters. An Emperor who was also a digidestined. She'd rather not think about that, though.  
  
There were a few other changes, as well. T.K. was taller than her now. Everyone else had also grown, even Izzy. He was still only about her height, though. She giggled a little at the thought. Then she turned her attention back to her musings.   
  
Tai and Matt don't fight as much. The term 'cute' had taken on a whole new meaning. When used in conjunction with certain boys, like ... Matt. Kari paused for a moment, then shook her head. She went back to what she had been doing. Listing changes.  
  
Joe whines less and is more practical rather than paranoid. Mimi dyed her hair pink and put stars in it. She doesn't need as much coddling as she used to. Sora plays tennis and helps her mom with arranging flowers now, instead of playing soccer. She and Tai play every now and then, though. The two had recently begun dating. Kari was happy for them. They made a cute couple.  
  
Pausing in her contemplation for a moment, Kari sighed. Thinking of her brother and his girlfriend made her loneliness more apparent. She wished she had a boyfriend. One particular boyfriend, actually. He went by the name ... Matt.  
  
Matt's name sent a pleasant thrill through Kari's body and brought a smile to her face. It was the kind of smile that was excited, happy, dreamy, nervous, and wistful all at the same time. The king of smile that told everyone else that the person wearing it was thinking of someone they liked. More particularly, someone they loved.  
  
Or at least had a crush on, Kari thought ruefully. She was a bit reluctant to call it love, for several reasons. One big reason was their ages. Matt was fourteen and she was eleven. At this point in her life, she didn't really think she knew enough about love yet to know if she was in it. And what would a fourteen year old boy with a band and a huge group of fans want with an eleven year old. Kari knew her chances right now were slim and she had to admit that she didn't really think a relationship like that would work out right now anyways. For one thing, she didn't even have any idea what guys that age were looking for in a girlfriend. Besides, right now three years was a big gap. If what she felt was really love and not just a crush, then it would last until those problems weren't that big of a deal anymore. In her heart she felt confident that it would, but she'd learned to be cautious. You never really knew how things would turn out.  
  
For now, she would learn what she could, which she privately thought was very little, from others her own age. She was already learning about flirting and jealousy from T.K. and Davis. Davis .... Kari shook her head, feeling a little bit exasperated. The boy had made it painfully obvious for the last few months that he had a major crush on her, even though she tried not to encourage him. She even tried to discourage him now, but it didn't make any difference. He continued on, as stubborn as ever.  
  
Thankfully, T.K. was there. T.K. and her had been best friends since they'd met as digidestined three years ago. They were almost like brother and sister at times, always working together and supporting each other. There was a bond between them, both of them knew it, but they both thought it was just because they were so close. Neither had ever thought about dating the other. at least, that's what T.K. had assured her when she talked to him about Davis. And she didn't doubt it. If it was one thing the child of hope had never been very good at, it was lying. According to Davis' older sister, neither was Matt. It must run in the family.  
  
Kari giggled again, then sighed. Her thoughts often turned to Matt. A lot of the girls at school often talked about him and their crushes on him. Yolei had once privately confessed to Kari that even she thought he was cute, although he wasn't a match for Ken, Digimon Emperor and her crush. Whatever, she thought as she rolled her eyes. Ken has a gentle smile that makes him cute, but he's no where near Matt, whose smile could light an entire room with it's gentle radiance.  
  
Forcefully, Kari turned her thoughts away again. The best way to do that was to think of something annoying, like the fact that people kept pairing her up with T.K. in their minds. She didn't understand where they got that from, especially since they were almost like brother and sister. That was better than the other match they made up for her, though. The only other one she knew about was for those few who thought someone else 'deserved' her more... Davis. Shaking her head again, Kari wondered for what had to be the thousandth time what on earth was up with those people. First off, where did they come up with the idea that people should be paired up because they think they 'deserve' to have each other? It didn't really make any more sense to her than those who thought T.K. and her were 'destiny' or 'fate'. As far as she was concerned, it was all nonsense. Maybe she'd look at it differently when she was older, and perhaps even have some kind of understanding, but right now, at eleven years old, she just couldn't fully comprehend the ideas behind the statements. So she pretty much just ignored them.  
  
Unfortunately, Davis didn't. Why anyone would actually think they could become boyfriend and girlfriend really was beyond her. It for no other reason, she wouldn't go out with him simply because she would be dating a copy of her brother. An imitation that wasn't even all that good in her opinion. Davis looked like Tai with a different hair cut, acted a lot like Tai except without the same respect for his sister(and others for that matter), and basically tried to be like Tai. The thought of her dating him was nauseating, to her AND Tai, who wasn't all that impressed by Davis. Don't get me wrong. We both like him. He's a great guy, and Tai likes anyone who plays soccer, anyways. It's not like we dislike him or anything, it's just that he's sooo much like Tai. Maybe if he didn't try so hard he wouldn't be that bad, but she didn't think she'd ever tell him that. Kari was too afraid of truly hurting him.   
  
That's why she just flirted with T.K. and tried to make Davis understand that she didn't feel that way about him. She was thankful that T.K. had agreed to her little scheme. The whole thing hinged on his help and she was glad that he didn't think of her as anything but a sister any more than she thought of him as anything other than a brother. Kari wished there was a better way, because things were already getting complicated like this. Unfortunately, she hadn't found one yet. She'd keep trying, though. Maybe she could ask Matt .....  
  
Sighing in exasperation, Kari shook her head again. She had to find a way to get him out of her thoughts. At least, out when she was trying to think of something else. The other day she'd caught herself writing the words of one of his top hits on her paper. That might not seem so strange if it wasn't for the fact that she'd been taking a test at the time. It had been a comprehension test. She had suddenly started writing the song because of a memory the phrase "just like him" had triggered. Kari had gone to one of Matt's concerts with her brother and some of the other digidestined. After two other songs he'd started to sing the song and it had seemed to fit him perfectly. The song had been about growing up and opening up. Finding the confidence to take chances and work for your dreams. That was what Matt had done when he decided to make a band. He'd told the other kids about how nervous he was and how he was afraid of failing. They'd all reassured him and helped him find the confidence to go for it. That night he'd dedicated the song to them, for supporting him through it all. Kari thought that night might have been the one when she first realized how she felt about him. Everyone had felt so honored and humbled, but very, very pleased. Who wouldn't be?  
  
"Kari? Earth to Kari. Hello. Is anyone home? Kari. Come in please," a voice said, suddenly penetrating the fog in her mind.  
  
Blinking, Kari looked at her older brother. "Oh, sorry, Tai. What is it," she asked, quickly focusing on him. She hoped it wasn't trouble.  
  
"I was wondering if you were going to come with me and Sora to the park or if you were going later with someone else," Tai explained, examining her carefully. "We're going early so that we can play soccer for awhile. You can join us in a game, if you want."  
  
"Sure, I'd love to," Kari answered, thinking that the activity might help get her mind off of Matt for awhile. She turned to her bed. "Gatomon, do you want to come, too?"  
  
Gatomon raised her head from her paws lazily. She regarded them sleepily as she considered the idea. Then she shook her head. "Naw, I'd rather stay here and get some sleep. Tomorrow while you're in school, Patamon and I are going to help the Gabumon and the others, so I need my sleep," she replied in a sleepy rumble.  
  
"Excuses, excuses," Kari said affectionately, moving toward the door.  
  
"She's just lazy," Tai teased as he followed his sister out.  
  
Gatomon just lay her head back on her paws, ignoring them. When they'd shut the door, she raised her head and went to look at what Kari had written in her diary. After she was done, she went back and laid on the bed again in the same spot. She looked like she hadn't moved, except for the smug expression on her face. Gatomon couldn't wait to tell the other digimon, especially Gabumon, what she'd just found out. It was exactly the information they'd been looking for.  
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Well, I tried to make it as much like real life as I could. At eleven years old girls are usually fantasizing about good looking guys in bands. Especially if they aren't that much older than them. The only thing I want to leave you pondering is this: What are the digimon up to if they were looking for information on who Kari likes? Tell me what you think in a review.  
  
  



End file.
